Jordan Clarkson breaks the triple-double drought in Utah; Utah's snowpack is below normal at the halfway point of the season | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | Jan. 2, 2024 Today is Tuesday and it's World Introvert Day, when introverts can recharge after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Top of Mind Today If you are thinking of, or committed to, running for office in Utah this year, this is your week! If you think it seems early, you'd be right. The filing period used to be in March but the dates were changed during the legislative session two years ago. Filing opens at 8 am this morning and closes at 5 pm next Monday, Jan. 8. Rapid Relevance Jordan Clarkson breaks the triple-double drought in Utah and does it in style; Utah's snowpack is below normal at the halfway point of the snow collection season but two systems are tracking toward us this week; and the online dating safety law takes effect in Utah. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news New Utah laws go into effect (Fox13) Utahâs new voter affiliation deadline and other laws to ring in 2024 (KUER) Riverdale seeking applicants to fill vacant City Council spot following officialâs death (Standard-Examiner) 2023 year in review (Hinckley Report) Social media âabsolutelyâ causing increases in anxiety and depression, Utah governor says (Politico) Utah Republican lawmaker wants to legalize lottery to help pay for property tax cuts (KSL TV) Election news Want to vote in Utahâs GOP presidential, primary races next year but arenât a registered Republican? Better hurry (Deseret News) Sunday Edition: Joseph Grenny & John Curtis (KSL TV) Utah news Editorial Board: This word described Americans in 2023 - resilient (Deseret News) Utah ended the year poised to host the 2034 Winter Games. Hereâs how the IOC sees another Olympics (Deseret News) Leaders, thinkers and doers: Here are the notable Utahns who died in 2023 (Salt Lake Tribune) 40+ people treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after leak in Latter-day Saint meetinghouse (Fox13) UHP makes over 60 DUI arrests during New Year's weekend (Fox13) Man dead after climbing into airplane engine at Salt Lake City International (KUTV) Business/Tech Ryan Smith aims to create 'iconic' tech incubator in Provo (KSL) Crime/Courts Teen believed to be victim of cyber-kidnapping returns safely to Riverdale home (KUTV) Culture Journaling advice for the easily overwhelmed (Deseret News) 7 ways to stay organized in the New Year (Deseret News) What to read if you want to reinvent yourself (The Atlantic) At 1-year mark of near-fatal snowplow accident, Jeremy Renner reveals whatâs next in his career (Deseret News) Education At this Utah school, students helped shape a no-phone policy. And they like it. (Salt Lake Tribune) Environment How clean energy collides with the environment â namely birds (Deseret News) Here's what Utah's snowpack looks like at the start of 2024 (KSL) Itâs not just Utah, snow shortages are plaguing the entire West (Salt Lake Tribune) Is Rocky Mountain Powerâs 20-year plan for clean energy already off track? (Salt Lake Tribune) With clean water in southern Utah in short supply, a Navajo mission plays crucial role (Salt Lake Tribune) Family Following this âsuccess sequenceâ can help young people become successful adults (Deseret News) Health Hereâs the reason why women need more sleep than men (Deseret News) Did you know the Mediterranean diet does more than lower risk of diabetes? (Deseret News) 7 habits to live a healthier life, inspired by the world's longest-lived communities (NPR) | | |
National Headlines General Lahaina banyan tree showing signs of life following the Maui wildfires (KSL) Feel alone? Check out these quotes on what itâs been like to be human in 2023 (AP) Political news It was a historic year in the U.S. House â but not in a good way (Deseret News) 5 eyebrow-raising moments in politics in 2023 (Deseret News) New state laws for 2024 impact guns, pornography, taxes and even fuzzy dice (AP) Americans sour on the primary election process and major political parties, an AP-NORC poll says (AP) US Supreme Court's Roberts urges 'caution' as AI reshapes legal field (Reuters) Mental hospitals warehoused the sick. Congress wants to let them try again. (Politico) Election news Mitt Romney and his moderate friends plan to leave Senate or face an uphill battle for reelection (Deseret News) The âwhyâ behind the effort to recruit Romney for president in 2024 (Deseret News) Maine bars Trump from ballot as US Supreme Court weighs statesâ authority to block former president (AP) Boebert faults Ryan Reynolds, Barbra Streisand for her district switch (The Hill) More Gen Z candidates are lining up to run for office amid frustration over the countryâs aging political class (The Hill) Ukraine ðºð¦ Russia launches record number of drones in Ukraine, and Putin says Moscow will intensify its attacks (AP) Russia rounds up thousands of migrants at New Year's Eve festivities, reports say (Reuters) Russia uses POWs as a political weapon against Kyiv (Politico) Israel ð®ð± In landmark ruling, Israel's Supreme Court rejects right-wing changes to judiciary (NPR) World news Multiple dead in powerful Japan earthquake (KSL) Denmarkâs Queen Margrethe II to step down from throne on Jan. 14 (AP) Displaced, repatriated and crossing borders: Afghan people make grueling journeys to survive (AP) U.S. forces say they killed the boat crews in a Houthi ship attack in the Red Sea (NPR) Chinaâs Xi says reunification with Taiwan âinevitable,â ahead of crucial vote on island (Politico) | | |
| | Guest opinion: We cannot serve two masters by Deborah Gatrell There is a âNo Quarterâ flag â a mutilated American flag in black â proudly waving in front of a home in my small LDS stake. It troubles me. I acknowledge Iâm a stickler for the US flag code â I grew up in a military family and we were taught to respect the flag, so I find all mutilations of my countryâs flag deeply offensive. The âNo Quarterâ flag is especially frightening because of its brazenly violent message: kill anyone who does not support âthe cause.â Modern political extremism is alive and well in the Intermountain West, and it is actively destroying âpure religionâ... Itâs true that we live in challenging times, as is true for each generation at some point. Indeed, these may be times that âtry menâs souls,â as Paine cried early in the Revolutionary War. But today, too many of us see the world in a false dichotomy, a world where political questions are limited to âright or wrongâ and âblack or white.â The results are damning. Utah routinely rejects 90% of folks who apply for state assistance because theyâve fallen on hard times, but then takes credit for millions of dollars of assistance and volunteer labor provided by members of the LDS church. Governor Cox was right in his 2022 State of the State address when he noted âIf we want smaller government, we need bigger people.â We havenât lived up to his call to action, let alone Christâs commandment to love our neighbors, to include sworn enemies like the Samaritans of His day. Christ goes further when he commands us to âLove your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.â Wealthy as we are, if we were truly a Christian nation there would be no poor among us... As we prepare for a new year and a new Legislative session, let us recommit to being good citizens and good neighbors â helping where we can individually and ensuring there are state resources to address the many problems that are bigger than what we can handle at the local level. If we love God, we MUST love our neighbor â that includes everyone, regardless of whether or not we share political or religious affiliation or agree on the contentious issues of the day. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Jan. 2 â Candidate filing period opens Jan. 16 â Legislative session begins Mar. 1 â Legislative session ends | | |
On This Day In History 1776 - Congress publishes the Tory Act, describing how the colonies should âhandleâ those who remained loyal to the British crown 1811 - First censuring of a U.S. Senator, Timothy Pickering, who publicly revealed secret documents 1839 - Louis Daguerre takes the first photo of the moon 1854 - Alice Marry Robertson is born. An educator, social worker and Native American rights activist, she was Americaâs first female postmaster and the second woman to serve in Congress. 1868 - Alice Merrill Horne is born. She was elected to the Utah state legislature in 1898 and began Utahâs art program. 1890 - President Benjamin Harrison welcomes Alice Sanger as the first female White House staffer 1903 - US President Theodore Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola Miss, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black 1965 - Martin Luther King, Jr. starts a voting drive in Selma. 1974 - President Nixon signs national 55 mph speed limit into law 1988 - Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Ronald Reagan sign Canada-US Free Trade Agreement 2009 - Eric Holder confirmed as the first Black US Attorney General 2017 - US House Republicans vote to gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, a public uproar forces them to back down the next day 2018 - US senator Al Franken resigns 2021 - President Donald Trump says to Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger "I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,â in recording released by the Washington Post Quote of the Day "If you really want to learn what art is, live with it: make it a part of your home and of your experience." âAlice Merrill Horne On the Punny Side Someone just called my phone, sneezed and then just hung up. I am getting sick and tired of these cold calls. | | |
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